Gov't has nothing to do with ICC case - Palace

A Malacañang official on Friday maintained that the Marcos administration has nothing to do with the crimes against humanity case filed against former president Rodrigo Duterte before the International Criminal Court (ICC).

- By JANVIC MATEO

“We have nothing to do with the ICC case,” Palace press officer Claire Castro said in an interview with “Storycon” on One News.

Castro clarified that her earlier remarks were misrepresented by Duterte’s defense counsel, Nicholas Kaufman, who claimed that the Philippine government would not object to the former president’s request for interim release.

“That's twisting of facts... I did not say that. What I said is, whatever the decision of the ICC, that is a legal process. The government will... respect it,” she said.

Castro noted that this was not the first time Kaufman distorted statements, citing his earlier claim that the ICC prosecutor would also not object to Duterte’s release.

Disciplinary action

Following the controversy, civil society groups and human rights organizations urged the ICC to impose disciplinary sanctions on Kaufman for allegedly engaging in disinformation.

“On at least two separate occasions, Mr. Kaufman has distorted the factual record before the Court in order to advance the defendant's application for interim release,” the groups said in a joint statement.

They added that Kaufman also misrepresented the remarks of the Palace official, twisting “the meaning and implication of Castro’s statement.”